HELP! Looking for a new 15" MacBook Pro...RAM question

[sjinsjca]

I know I'm swimming against the tide on this thread, but I'd trust Apple's advice.

A given machine might be able to use 16GB in some, maybe most situations, but there may be occasions when problems arise, such as when the unit is asked to hibernate.

I'm actually in the same boat as you. I run lots of virtual machines in a portable environment and would greatly appreciate being able to run more than two at a time. 16GB or even more would be a boon for me. I'd actually buy a new machine that very day if Apple announced 16GB functionality in a notebook format. But if Apple recommends against it for their current machines, I can only conclude that they know better than I do (and better than several posters on this thread do). There may be issues under some circumstances, and you can bet it would put your data at risk at the worst possible moment.

Having said that, I wish Apple would explain more why they don't recommend it. At a minimum, it would shut up the conspiracy-theorists on this thread.

(Meanwhile, the notion that "It's because Apple doesn't have 16GB to sell" is ludicrous. Apple can get--or make--anything they want.)

 

[DrtyHarry]

But if Apple recommends against it for their current machines, I can only conclude that they know better than I do (and better than several posters on this thread do).

The tech on the phone told me I can install as much memory as I want, he didn't per say that Apple recommends "AGAINST" it. He just said that if I do it wrong and break something, it's not covered.

He said that the computer simply won't recognize the extra RAM installed, and buying 16GB kits for the unit is a marketing ploy.




Harry

 

[GGJstudios]

He just said that if I do it wrong and break something, it's not covered.

That's true. It's true for any part you install yourself.

He said that the computer simply won't recognize the extra RAM installed, and buying 16GB kits for the unit is a marketing ploy.

That's false. Completely false.

 

[DrtyHarry]

I didn't realize price has come down so much. OK, well I guess it's good to know that I can "effectively" use 16GB or RAM on this unit....and that the unit will handle more than 8GB. It's not all that expensive now compared to when it first came out.

I also will be using the computer to set up a camera security program....not sure if more RAM will help, I figured it might let me effectively view more cameras at once. And yes, I usually work with several programs open all at once.

If anyone would be so kind as to tell me where to get the 16GB kits from (or who's had them on sale recently) please do share! Thank you all for your help.



Harry

 

[pmz]

If something were to happen to the machine and something inside fried, and it had 16GB of RAM installed in it....would I void my AppleCare warranty because it states clearly on the website that the maximum amount of RAM for this unit is 8GB, and therefore not covered because I had double the RAM allowed? Am I not voiding my warranty by using more than 8GB...the "maximum" amount. Just curious....if it runs better with 16GB, I just think Apple should say so. Rep on the phone said something about overloading the mother board?!@?^$%



Harry

You're a riot so far. Since you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, how about READING the information already provided to you....realize that you will never in your life need 16 GB of RAM for anyting....and have a nice day with $46 upgrade to 8 GB.

 

[throAU]

Again, RAM≠Speed.

16GB of RAM currently is like Canada having nuclear arms. There's a whole lot of potential but nobody's really going to use it.

BS

If you run parallels or VMware fusion, you want all the RAM you can get.

If you want to run VMware and another app or two (lets say, for example, Ableton and Safari) at the same time, you'll easily chew more than 8 gigs of RAM if you've given your VM a reasonable amount.

If you want to build a test network in Fusion, you'll want multiple VMs.

I agree that most people will be fine with 8, but to claim that nobody is going to use it, when there are relatively common, trivial ways of using it (never mind say, photoshop or Final Cut) is a bit misleading.



OP: 16gb of ram is fine in the current MBP, and it will see/make use of it. Apple just don't sell it because they keep minimal configuration options for their products, and overcharge for RAM anyway.

Until a few months ago, 16gb in 2 sticks would have been about $1500 - with Apple's mark up that would equate to around $4.5k in ram, so they don't offer it.

RAM prices have dropped massively in the last 6 months though, so grab some from OWC if you need it.

 

[MrCheeto]

Those purposes will inherently consume more RAM, but did he mention running virtual machines?

 

[throAU]

Did he mention he WASN'T running any particular memory hungry app?

You stated that "nobody is going to use it" which is quite clearly FALSE. There are entire industries out there that make heavy use of macs, that will benefit from RAM.

And 16gb is cheap now anyway.

edit:

OP: this will give you an idea of how/why/what to upgrade on your MBP:
http://www.macperformanceguide.com/Mac-Upgrade-Main.html

In particular: http://www.macperformanceguide.com/Mac-Upgrade-Memory.html

 

[MrCheeto]

Did he mention that bats just flew out of his arse? Then why would we feel the need to instruct him as to how to subdue gold crowned fruit bats?

 

[Freyqq]

So the machine will operate FASTER with the 16GB kit? I'm not just pissing it away? Did Apple lie when they said the extra RAM won't be able to be used and that it's a waste? Thanks!



Harry

16 GB is only better than 8 GB IF YOU ARE USING MORE THAN 8 GB OF RAM ONLY. If you only use 8 GB at a time, then 1/2 of the 16 GB would just sit there, unused.

 

[throAU]

Mostly.

If you do a lot of disk IO, the spare RAM will be used for cache.

But yes, the performance increase will be minimal, vs the performance penalty of not having enough RAM.

eg. you have 4gb of data to process. in 8gb of Ram and in 16gb of ram, it will be the same speed, roughly.

If you up that job size to 8-10gb, having 16gb will be MUCH, MUCH faster as the computer will be running from disk.


Basically, keep an eye on page outs on activity monitor. If you're seeing that number grow while running your workload, you could do with more RAM. Page outs happen when the machine runs out of RAM and has to swap stuff out to disk. And that is SLOW.

 

[MagicBoy]

Thanks for this. I'll give it a try on my comp when I get home. I don't know how the results will be of much help as I don't yet have the computer. Someone must have done some comparisons between 8/16 GB!

But not on your workload/typical usage. This is what a number of posters have been trying to get across to you. Unfortunately we're not psychic!

 

[DrtyHarry]

I thank you all for your replies and links. I'm no genius guys, so please bear with me as I'm not the most mechanically inclined when it comes to these matters.

To answer some questions, when I travel, I often find myself using many many programs at once, usually using another monitor as well. I can have several 2GB+ PSD files open, working on them all at the same time using effects while I'm trying to edit some rather HD and precise video.

I'm also running most of CS5.5 all at the same time as well. I try to keep as many apps as I'm not using closed...but I need many of them running to work at a faster pace. I have to make high res PDF files, I'm always taking things up and down from my FTP site. Acrobat distiller, reader, stuffit, stuffit expander, bridge, flash, fusion, firefox, word, itunes, DVD, toast, Maya, PS, Illustrator, etc. are all examples of programs that I might have running at the same time.

I believe the extra memory will help me multitask in a more proficient matter. It has in the past with other laptops I've used. I'd like to think I can surf the web easier with a dozen windows/tabs open if need be. And when I have to switch to a PC platform to run a PC program or read a PC file, the VMWARE Fusion 4 looks fantastic seeing as how I don't have to reboot the machine every time I need it. My understanding is that more RAM will help me here as well.

When set up, I may have a movie or some music going on as well. I spend lots of time converting file formats from one to the other. I usually do most of the heavy work at the office, but I find myself traveling more and more these days and want the most I can get out of the machine. Besides, it's nice to hook up an HDMI cable to the TV and watch whatever I have on my laptop while I continue to work.

Thanks again for all the help, it's good to know that I can use use the power of 16GB, and Apple was pissing down my neck and telling me it was raining when they said I can't use the other 8GB in this machine. Ugh....again, thank you all.



Harry

----------

You're a riot so far.

I'm here all week! Thanks!





Harry

 

[DrtyHarry]

8GB vs. 16GB in Macbook Pro.

http://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2011/20110310_2-MacBookPro_PTGui_16GB--reviews.html



Harry